Purgatory
Purgatory is a place where those not evil enough to go to the lower planes and not good enough to rise to the higher planes end up. They are given a chance to enter the higher planes. The shores of Purgatory: A soul in Hell truly wishing to repent will be visited by the archangel Michael who will lift him up from his damnations. Devils are not permitted to interfere per a treaty with heaven. The angel will carry them up the river Styx to the shores of purgatory. From there, they begin their journey to reach the tower surrounded by winding stairs representing purgatory proper. From there, they ascend the tiers of the plane hoping to eventually reach Heaven at the top. The Cliffs of Purgatory: This great cliff overlooks a valley through which souls in purgatory must travel to reach their trial. The Excommunicated, those souls who once served a good aligned deity but were cast out from the faith (such as a cleric losing the ability to cast divine spells) or broke their vows and wished to repent but never mended them (such as a Paladin's vows or a Healer's) remain here to reflect for 30 times the amount of time they spent in life as Excommunicated. The Valley of Light and Darkness (The Positive and Negative Energy Planes): ''' The souls eventually descend black steps representing their sins into valley of light and shadow, positive energy and negative energy. The path ahead lies between these areas of darkness and light. . The shadowed area shows those on the trail indulging in their sins. It is formed by the collective sins shed by those passing through purgatory and acts as a final temptation to lure people from their path of redemption and back to the wicked lives they led. Those who stray into the shadowed area are instead reborn as evil undead. They return to the material plane but as mere shells of their former selves and are filled with great hatred for the living. . The light shows the suffering caused by the sins which the applicants indulged in. It is far less pleasing to look at than the shadows but it forces those on their trials to own up to what they've done and think of others but themselves. This area is formed from pure positive energy in the cosmos and has the power to heal souls. By looking at the light, souls are able to remain on the path of redemption ahead. The Late Repentant - those souls who repented late for their evils late in life, such as in old age or at the moment of their violent deaths, wait to reflect here for an amount of time equal to the amount of their lives spent in evil. Once they pass through the valley, they climb white steps, representing their virtues, to reach the tower of Purgatory on the other side of the valley and begin their trails. '''First Terrace: Pride The souls of the proud climb a staircase with heavy stones born upon their backs, representing their pride. The stairs are lined with statues representing humility. The weight of the stones corresponds to the depth of their wicked pride in life. The stones lighten as the souls become more humble. Those too weighed down by pride will be unable to move until they let go. Second Terrace: Envy On this stair, the souls are dressed in bland, grey cloaks and their eyes are sewn shut with iron wire like those of a falcon being trained. Voices on the wind speak of generosity and the souls must listen carefully to the voices and follow them to reach the top. Those who fall must begin the trial again. Once at the top, the stitching is removed and their eyes open. Third Terrace: Wrath On this stair, the souls walk through a foul cloud that stings the eyes, representing the blinding effects of anger. They must keep their eyes to the ground in order to see, resulting in them bowing their heads and symbolizing meekness. Fourth Terrace: Sloth On this terrace, souls are put to work performing a variety of tasks. They learn the value of zeal. The seemingly endless list of tasks must be completed entirely to progress. Fifth Terrace: Avarice On this stair, souls must sit and meditate in tranquility, resting, while illusions of tremendous riches and extravagant things pass them by. They learn to be satisfied with what they have and appreciate the beauty of nature. Sixth Terrace: Gluttony On this long stair, souls find themselves starving and thirsty. Lush fruit trees hang on either side along with pitchers of wine and beer. They must learn to only drink and eat enough to become full to pass. Those who have more than what they need will become violently ill and need to repeat the trial. Seventh Terrace: Lust Twin pillars of flame burn on either side of this path. In one of them burns images of heterosexual perversion and the other burns with images of homosexual perversion. The climbers must resist the lovers standing within the flames who beckon them to enter and join in their orgies. They are taught to value love rather than mindless pleasure. Those who enter the flames are burned to ash only to re-form at the base of this stair. The Summit: Those that reach the summit wait for angels to come and lift them to the gardens of the first tier of the Seven Heavens of Celestia.